The Devils Burdens relay

Race Organiser Frank and Fifie Wifies Jocelyn and Eliza

My attendance at the Devils Burdens relay over recent years has been at best patchy for a few reasons but mostly because I found the number of people there off putting and the car parking situation always turned it into quite a stressful day, the race really was a victim of its own success as hundreds of people (and that’s not an exaggeration) descended on some tiny Fife villages. The crowds in the hall at the end were just not fun and, when taking into account the poor driving and inconsiderate parking of some competitors, I am actually surprised that the race has been tolerated locally for so long. Like many of us who have been running for a long time I have a tendency to bemoan the loss of the carefree days when this was a fringe sport, there were far fewer participants and when the Devils burdens was set up as a fun event by Adrian Davis, a fun day out in the Lomond hills and something to break up the long winter months when the hill racing calendar is a bit empty. Maybe too because we weren’t forced to think about it for what seems to be months in advance of the race, it all seemed a bit more relaxed back then. Anyway, the factors above made me really quite grumpy about it all.

Fife AC also recognised that the situation wasn’t sustainable and so a new format has been devised very much based on the format that the FRAs use (That’s the British Hill and Fell Running Relays nowadays but forever to be known as the FRAs by hill runners of a certain age). Rather than having different change over points around the Lomond Hills there is an event centre and all of the leg changeovers take place there. 

As with everything else here were pros and cons – the pros being that its probably the first time that I, and a lot of other people, have seen the winners finish as usually I am still out on the hill somewhere. It made the whole event a lot more exciting as you could see the race developing and how close it was at the front. A leader board would be a good addition too so that you can see in real time how the race develops although that would be a complicated thing to administer. Overall, the race had a real atmosphere. It also cut down on the car chaos and the need for marshals at these changeover points, a total win-win.

The downside was that maybe the courses didn’t travel as far over the hills as would be hoped, none of the courses went as far as the reservoirs, or the Bishop hill, or even the Devils Burdens, which was a shame and there was at least one complaint (from an “old school” hill runner) that the course didn’t take in the more “interesting” terrain to be found there. Unfortunately to include these areas would make the stage quite long from the starting point in Falkland and there were some teams that were out rather a long time as it was. Maybe there’s an option for a “short course” for slow teams and a “long course” for fast teams  - although I imagine Frank and Bill would happily shoot me for suggesting this. Overall though I think the “pros” outweighed the “cons” although the question remains - can it be called the Devils Burdens Relay when it no longer goes anywhere near the Devils Burdens...?

The last leg where checkpoints could be found in any order was inspired and I think it could be made even more challenging if the checkpoint locations were kept secret and the competitors only handed their maps after their stage has started. Being on that stage, it would have certainly given me the opportunity to screw things up completely for my team.

But to the race. The inevitable email arrived in about July rounding up willing volunteers for teams. Well ok, it was probably November or something but it still feels unfeasibly early and luckily I was suffering from some lurgy that I’d brought back from the desert with me, camel flu or something. I say luckily because in recent years another factor making me less than enthusiastic about participating in the Devils Burdens is that I’ve always gone down with some flu bug or lurgy over Xmas and new year so this time I figured that a) it was November and I would have recovered by January and b) if I’d got the flu now even I wouldn’t be unlucky enough to get it again the following month. Would I? I didn’t and so made it to the start line. I was in the V40 team called “Satans sisters” although I’d misread the name and spent the first couple of hours of the day wondering if we had to wear santa hats. Might have been a good thing as it was a pretty cold windy day but fortunately not snowy or icing or raining.

My day did not start particularly well when Heather, on first leg, handed over in first place. Not first place V40s but first place ladies. We were in the lead and the pressure was on. I didn’t envy Rhona and Karen setting off with some very high calibre teams right up their tailpipes including Fife AC’s ladies team, former winners HBT and the ever strong Carnethy featuring hill running legend Angela Mudge. 

Fife AC senior ladies were the race winners

Karen and Hilary not disguised as Sith Lords

Having not run around the lower slopes of these hills in a few years other than in the trail race I had travelled down to Fife the previous weekend and dragged Simon on a wee recce run, I had a good idea where the checkpoints were but I really needed to put my mind at rest. Simon had to be bribed with cake. But even now the day of the race I was still not convinced id found the optimum route and Frank kindly put even more doubt in my mind by telling me that I should do the tower checkpoint and the farm checkpoint in the other order so, having plenty of time until the final leg, I decided that another wee recce was in order. It was a good move as sure enough I found a much better route up to the tower than I had the previous weekend. I jogged back to the event field feeling happier. 

Simon and I doing a course recce the week before

Simon with his cake bribe

The bit I’m never keen on in relays is waiting for the runner before you to appear especially when you have no idea how long they are going to be. You don’t want to be stripped off ready to run too early especially when you are standing in a field in the middle of January but likewise you don’t want to have to face the wrath of your fellow team mates who have just bust a gut in their leg and have crossed the line only to find you tucking into a cup of tea and a biscuit still fully clothed. It’s a fine balance. I kept warm by jogging up and down and then went and got my kit checked and gave a fairly blunt reply to some daft runner who was boasting about having the wrong map and no compass (fecking eejit). Then it was time to go. 

By now I had no idea where we were in the women’s field let alone the V40s so I figured all I could do was run as hard as possible. I got to the tower via my newly discovered route that morning, slithered down the muddy path, got back on to the main track and picked off the next three checkpoints easily enough although at the bend in the track I did a “double take” at two checkpoints lying quite closely together, took at guess at which was mine and carried on, as always my pin point accuracy at orienteering coming into its own…. At one point I spotted Sarah Dunn which made me pick up the pace as I knew Deeside ladies had a very strong V40s women’s team and for the most part I was on good wide forest tracks which are conducive to fast running. As I headed back to Falkland I passed Tom Ross who gave me no end of abuse so I stuck my fingers up at him in that well known internationally recognised hand gesture and carried on. The next thing I saw were two Sith lords from Star Wars coming up the track cheering me on. It later transpired that it was Hilary and Karen cunningly disguished in dry robes and I’m so glad they told me this otherwise I’d still be thinking that I was really out of it and hallucinating mid race. Finally the path turned a sharp corner before dropping down to the farm where I was met head on by a crowd of runners who had been started in the mass start for leg 4 and from there it was the long run for home.

Perfect for an orienteering race stage

Finishing

I got back to the field without losing any other places other than to one Shettleston runner but she didn’t look like she was a V40 she was in a mixed team anyway. On crossing the line I wobbled a bit, it was a long time since breakfast, so after Rhona gave me some sweets I was a bit less wobbly. 

Back at the hall Jenn, who was doing the prize giving, announced that it was the first time Fife AC ladies had won the Devils Burdens relay which gave me a chuckle. These young things! She was probably still in infant school when I was in the winning seniors team which I believe was in 2005. 

Fifie Wifies 2003

Fifie (auld) wifies 2020

Fife ladies “cleaned up” winning every age category which was a good end to a very good day.

Link to results below

 https://www.fifeac.org/events/fife-ac-events/devils-burdens/1347-devil-s-burdens-2020.html